Do you think that you are too stupid to home-school a child?

[Barb]

If you can read, write, and work out a math equation then you are fully capable of teaching what you know to another person.

I read so many comments from people that think parents don't have the brains to give their children an education.

My parents did not home-school my siblings and myself but I know with certainty that they were perfectly capable of doing so.

It is time for people to seriously think about your own self worth. If you have received an adequate education in the things that matter the most -- as in the basics --- you can continue learning for a life-time. And your children or other people can learn great things from you.---- Do you realize too that you can teach yourself anything that you need to know? Some advanced studies may take longer than others but with the right steps and material you can learn anything! --- Home-schooling works for tens of thousands of children all over the US and in other countries too. It isn't hard -- but it does take work.
I guess I should have asked: Do you think that YOU are incapable of finding social outlets and activities for children if you were home-schooling them?
And...
Do you think that home-schooled children are not capable of thinking for themselves?

It is completely erroneous to assume that home-schooled children are hindered in social skills. All of the home-schooled children that I meet (100's of them) are very good at communication with everyone in every age category. They have peers --- plenty of them. They have many friends. More than you can probably count.....
Unless people are willing to look at the facts and actually meet and get to know home-school people the false statements will continue to be parroted again and again...
Nah... it's never a waste of time to encourage others to do what is right. I know that I cannot convince the unconvincable -- I don't mean to try. My questions and answers are never meant to be arguments but instead are intended as food for thought. Those that are looking for good information need to know where to find it --- I hope that I can help to steer them in the right direction.

[Mike K]

kids should not be home schooled, they won't learn valuable leassons like interacting kids thier own age. i have seen kids get home schooled until high school and once they got there they lacked social skills.

[Allison]

sure - but there are so many things that kids learn in school that they can't learn from their parents, like how to interact with their peers, to confront opinions different from theirs, to be responsible

children are so susceptible to having the same prejudices and opinions as their parents - for better or for worse, children should be exposed to as many different ideas as possible to become more accepting and to learn about the diversity the world has to offer. Sorry, but very few parents can offer that to their kids.

homeschooling is dangerous for a child's intellectual and social development and scary when done on a big scale as in the US, too

[Glee, gloves off]

Well, the results tell me that my husband and I are capable of doing what a school full of professional educators could not. I can't argue with that.
I find anytime I do something for myself, people tell me it can't be done. That is their own self doubt being projected outward. I don't let it bother me.

[ysn - yourstudentnews]

I am capable - a personality quirk perhaps that I think I am capable of just about anything I really put my mind to... I am passing that quirk along, by the way.

What some folks don't understand or choose to ignore is also the tremendous wealth of resources available that one simply needs to take advantage of...

All kinds of museums, parks with wildlife experts who teach seminars for free, demonstrations, manufacturing plant tours, bunches of online stuff - such as free MIT Open Courseware taught by MIT professors, the public library, local college library...

Or... if you wanted and could spend a little, dual credit courses for older kids through community colleges, online dual credit courses through "name brand" universities such as Harvard.

The ability to provide learning in any subject is not limited to the knowledge or skill level or willingness to learn of the parent... A world class education is available almost for the taking - one just has to be willing to take the initiative.

Social activities... that one is sooooo old and does not hold water at all...I can't even believe people are still willing to try it as a slam against homeschoolers. There is so much to do it can make your head swim trying to choose among so many good options.